Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction 2010

The 24th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction took place last Sunday, Sept. 26 in Shubert Alley in Manhattan’s theater district. Playbill.com reported that the event raised a total of $476,917 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since its debut in 1987, the 24 editions of The Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction have raised a grand total of $8,638,669 for BC/EFA. A total of $239,342 was raised by 72 tables: Highest earners were the booths hosted by the Broadway show Wicked ($19,834) and ”Broadway Beat” ($12,171).

This year's Silent Auction included 114 items and raised $55,925. The top item sold was an A Little Night Music “Soon” musical phrase, handwritten and signed by Stephen Sondheim that went for $3,500.

This year’s grand auction, with BC/EFA auctioneer Lorna Kelly and actor Bryan Batt (TV’s “Mad Men”), featured 44 “lots,” which raised $126,650. The top-selling item was a walk-on role in the Broadway show Wicked that sold for $16,500.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised over $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.